Memoirs of a Dope MC

I first heard of Detroit native Cal L back in 2011, it was a track titled, ‘Love 2’ that was re-recorded for his ‘Memoirs of a Dope MC’ project. I liked what I heard and wanted to hear more. Over the years, he’s released several singles, but never a cohesive project. I was very glad to hear that he’s released his debut EP, ‘Memoirs of a Dope MC.’

I very much enjoyed this eight track EP. ‘Memoirs of a Dope MC’ is a great tale of Cal L’s life in the city that he loves; Detroit. Self-proclaimed gentleman; Cal L uses this EP to speak on love, his journey as an artist, the city that he’s from, and his love for hip hop. In a world where most artists are trying to portray what people want, Cal L is being no one but himself.

This EP gives me a relaxed and comfortable vibe, with an old school feel. The beats were mostly low tempo, and well made. The producers, who contributed to the making of Memoirs of a Dope MC, are Joe Kool and B-Rocc. The beat for ‘Love2’ was taken from a sample of Ill Minds “Totally Tonya.” Cal L does provide a more up tempo beat with his track ‘Do It,’ butit would have been nice to have an equal balance between the two.

Cal’s lyrics are tight. He’s representing and showing love for Detroit in a great way. His wordplay is very nice, and I found myself smiling and laughing through a few tracks. It started in his opening track, ‘I Luv It,’ where he speaks on his love of Hip Hop, his own craft, and the current state of Hip Hop music. Cal L states; “I know it’s been a while / they tellin me to dumb it down / The radio done handicapped niggas / so they just hover round…”

He’s funny, he views the world in a positive light, and he’s got a dream that he’s destined to make come true. Cal L showed a bit of cockiness on this EP as well. He’s making it very clear that he is good at what he does, and better at it than most. While on tracks like ‘Love 2’ and ‘Walking the Line’, we see a softer side of Cal L. He shows that he’s a freak, he does have a heart, but a bitch is still the least of his problems.

While he has very strong lyrics, his delivery still needs some work. He misses the beat a bit. In his track ‘So Nice,’ he tries to speed up and rap faster in some spots, but it doesn’t really work. It’s hard to clearly hear and understand him. The raw talent is there and his style of rap is very relaxed. I think that with more experience, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

I urge you all to check out Cal L’s EP and give it a listen. I enjoyed it and I’m sure that you will enjoy it to. Check the links below to get more up to date information on his music, cyphers, and shows. Hope you enjoy listening to Memoirs of a Dope MC.